If you're shipping internationally with wood pallets, ISPM-15 compliance is mandatory. Here's what it means and how to stay compliant.
ISPM-15 stands for International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15. It's an international regulation that requires all wood packaging materials (pallets, crates, dunnage) used in cross-border trade to be treated to eliminate wood pests — primarily the pine wood nematode.
The treatment involves heating the wood core to 56°C for at least 30 continuous minutes. Once treated, pallets receive an IPPC stamp with the HT (heat treatment) designation, the country code, and the producer number. This stamp is your proof of compliance.
Do you need it? If you're shipping goods internationally using wood pallets, the answer is almost certainly yes. Over 180 countries enforce ISPM-15. Shipping non-compliant pallets can result in your cargo being rejected at customs, quarantined, fumigated at your expense, or destroyed.
At Oakland Pallets, we operate a certified heat treatment kiln on-site. We can treat your existing pallets or supply pre-treated ones. Turnaround is 2–3 business days for standard orders, with rush service available for urgent shipments.
Pro tip: if you ship internationally regularly, consider switching to plastic pallets for those routes. Plastic is ISPM-15 exempt — no treatment needed, ever.